As the density of semiconductor devices increases, so too does the demand for improved illumination sources for semiconductor inspection and metrology techniques and systems. One such illumination source includes a broadband light source. There currently exists a large selection of illumination sources that can be used in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions. Broadband light sources, such as discharge driven or laser-sustained plasma sources, are beneficial for imaging applications in wafer inspection. There are also very bright narrow band sources available in the form of lasers, such as a diode laser. Laser-pumped phosphorous is known to produce stable broadband output in the visible spectral region. Black body emission limits radiance of conventional light sources that rely on heated gas (e.g., plasma) or solid state bodies (e.g., tungsten lamps). In order to achieve the required radiance, temperatures higher than 50,000 K are needed. Radiance of conventional broadband light sources, such as plasma-based sources, is limited by the black-body limit at achievable temperatures. Despite higher temperatures generally achieved in laser-sustained plasmas, their radiance is also not sufficient for many inspection applications. Laser-based sources are not limited by black-body limits and are generally bright, but they typically are narrow band and coherent, which creates certain imaging difficulties, like speckle noise and sensitivity to film thickness, which are often not desirable for wafer inspection. Therefore, there exists a need for an improved broadband illumination source usable in inspection and/or optical metrology systems.